Iowa City, Iowa – The Robert Morris University women's basketball team didn't back down in its faceoff with #24 Iowa at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City Sunday afternoon, jumping out to a 10-0 lead before eventually succumbing to the Big 10 member, 59-50. The Colonials are now 4-4 overall while the Hawkeyes improve to 8-1.
 
Anna Niki Stamolamprou and Rebeca Navarro shared team-high honors with 13 points each. Navarro added seven rebounds and was 3-of-4 from long range. Megan Smith held her own in the paint, tallying eight points and pulling down eight rebounds.
 
"We faced the 24th-ranked team in the country and, for three quarters, we gave them everything they had and were only down six," said 13th year RMU head coach Sal Buscaglia. "Respect is a big thing for me and I think we earned a lot today as we have done in the past against big name opponents. In the fourth quarter, we just ran out of gas. We had some good shots, but they just wouldn't fall for us because I think we were tired physically and mentally.
 
"Playing in front of nearly 4,440 people is a great experience for our players. They were excited to play in this environment. Although it's frustrating to come up short in the fourth quarter, I'm thrilled with our kids effort. I feel that if we can put 40 minutes together, and our bench can raise their level of play, it's going to turn out to be a very exciting season. "
 
Robert Morris leapt on top of Iowa by scoring the first 10 points of the game, drilling four consecutive shots after the opening tip. Stamolamprou finished a nifty scoop shot with the shot clock running down on the first possession. Rebeca Navarro buried a three from the left wing before Ravelli hit a transition trey on the next possession. Stamolamprou then went to the rim again, finishing off a reverse lay-in.
 
Iowa would finally tally its first field goal 6:05 into the contest. The Colonials weathered an 8-2 run by the Hawkeyes and carried the lead, 16-12, into the second quarter.
 
The Hawkeyes battled back, tying the game at 21 on a power post move by Megan Gustafson. RMU answered immediately when Navarro drilled a long three from the top of the key. Megan Smith scored in the paint and Ravelli hit a pull-up 15 footer to give the Colonials a 28-25 lead. Tania Adams tallied the final four points of the first half for Iowa, giving them their first lead, 29-28, with 1:38 left in the first half where the score would remain after 20 minutes
 
Iowa pushed the lead to 34-30 early in the third quarter, but Navarro knocked down a baseline jumper and another from the left elbow, tying the game midway through the quarter. Four quick points from the Hawkeyes restablished their lead, a margin they would extend slightly to 47-41 at the end of the third quarter.
 
The Hawkeyes pulled away in the final quarter with a 15-4 run. The Colonials went nearly six minutes without a field goal in the quarter, allowing Iowa to turn a nine-point lead into a 22-point lead, 69-47, with 1:07 to play.
 
The Colonials outrebounded the much larger Hawkeyes lineup, 41-40. Ally Disterhoft led all scorers with 16 points and was joined by Megan Gustafson in double-digits with 15 points.
 
The schedule doesn't get much easier for the Colonials who will be off for finals week before traveling to Florida next Sunday, Dec. 13. The Gators were receiving votes in the most recent USA Today Coaches Poll.